This invention involves a fluid applicator for an ocular prosthesis and more particularly a device to inject fluids into a cavity of a self-lubricating ocular prosthesis.
In the co-pending application, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,265 there is shown in FIG. 8 and described in the specification a device and method of injecting fluids into a cavity of the ocular prosthesis through bore opening 36 through anterior surface 28 of the prosthesis. That United States Patent is incorporated herein by reference thereto. The use of applicator device 90 in said patent or applicator 114 illustrated in FIG. 12 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,364,501 to W. F. Stafford, poses certain problems. Firstly, since the bore opening through the anterior surface is commonly about one-half millimeter, the diameter of tube nozzle 92 of device 90 in said co-pending application must be of a smaller diameter. The tube must have sufficient wall thickness for structural integrity so that the lengthwise tubular bore can only be a few mils in diameter. This makes the injection of viscous or even thixotropic fluids difficult or even impossible. Throughout the specification and claims, the term "fluid" is intended to include all materials that can be caused to flow under pressure at room or slightly elevated temperatures. The "fluid" materials include highly viscous materials such as petroleum jelly and highly viscous emulsions. Further, it is difficult to choose a length for tube 92, which is long enough to handle and reach into the interior cavity of the prothesis and not be so long that it engages the cap releasably closing the access passage through the posterior surface of the body of the prosthetic eye. If the tube engages that cap, it may partially or fully dislodge the cap of the prosthesis. In addition, great care must be taken to remove tube 92 before any pressure is released on the bottle of applicator 90 or fluid will be drawn back into the applicator device. This not only contaminates the material in the device, but provides an incomplete fill of the chamber.
All prior art devices and methods fail to satisfy the needs and the problems described above and attain the objects of the present invention described hereinbelow.